Real McCoy
The origin of "The Real McCoy Rum" lies in the story of Bill McCoy during the Prohibition era in the United States.
In January 1920, Bill McCoy became the first person to load a ship in the Caribbean, set sail for New York City, and anchor 3 miles offshore to legally establish a liquor store. At the time, 3 miles was the limit of international waters.
Beyond this anecdote, McCoy quickly made a name for himself because he was the only one who didn't cut his alcohol with other very cheap and questionable ingredients, both in terms of taste and health impact (wood alcohol, etc.). These very low-quality spirits were then called "booze," while McCoy's eaux-de-vie, by contrast, were known as "The Real McCoy."
The Real McCoy is actually a very young brand, as it was only at the beginning of this century that Bailey Pryor, the brand's founder, met Richard Seale in Barbados. From this meeting came the idea of producing the rum at the old and traditional Foursquare distillery, which also had a long history of not compromising its rums with additives.
It is to perpetuate this tradition of quality and authenticity that the brand "The Real McCoy" produces a completely unaltered rum, without added sugar, coloring or other additional ingredients.
This rum is simply produced from concentrated blackstrap molasses, water, and yeast. After fermentation, it is distilled in small batches in the Fourquare distillery's column and pot stills. The rum is then aged for several years (3, 5, 12, etc.) in ex-bourbon barrels before being reduced and bottled.
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